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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28247358">Grey University I</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/scareoset/pseuds/scareoset'>scareoset</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Grey University [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Grey University, Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood, LGBTQ Character, M/M, Smoking, Swearing, Vampires, Werewolves, scareoset - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:27:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,527</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28247358</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/scareoset/pseuds/scareoset</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke arrives at Grey University hoping to see a ghost, but he ends up in over his head when he accidentally uncovers a dark secret.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Grey University [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2069214</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Arrivals</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>AN: this is my first time posting any of my writing anywhere so pls be nice! i will cry!!</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luke moves into his dorm at Grey University and meets his suite mates.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>AN: Luke is edgy and im sorry about him</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Grey University is a small school nestled up against a large, dark forest. The campus is a converted church, purchased around the end of the nineteenth century by Edmund Grey and managed by his estate after his death. When I say that it is small, I really mean that. There are less than three thousand students across all of its programs. I was enrolled there for my undergraduate degree. It had been my second choice and only ranked that high because of its remote location (which discouraged my family from dropping in to say hello), its beautiful campus (all high arches and lovely spires), and the stories of hauntings (which terrified and excited me endlessly). It was a little while after the end of the twentieth century, but the exterior of the buildings had been maintained. Inside, there were plenty of modern accommodations: fluorescent lights, electrical outlets, wireless networks, and insulation. Thank the gods for the insulation. Winters would have been unbearable without it, as the fireplaces did little to fight off the chill and frost at night.</p><p>I had been admitted as a Literature major, which gave me a lot of writing and discussion classes in Bleck Hall – one of the “most haunted” places on campus. Maybe I had applied as a Literature major hoping to have my own supernatural experience late one night. Gods know I couldn’t have been in my right mind to get a Bachelor’s degree in the Literature Arts. I probably could have done better for myself staying at my local library poring through their catalog. But instead I decided to take out student loans and pay tens of thousands of dollars to be assigned readings. I was deeply interested in the readings we discussed as well as the discussions that my professors moderated. I suppose the whole experience wasn’t a total bust. And I did bite off more than I could chew with the supernatural side of Grey University. But I’ll get to that.</p><p>Since the campus was so remote, housing was provided for all four years. The rooms were largely suites of four single bedrooms, a single bathroom, and a common area. There were options for singles without suites, but I was desperate for new friends in this isolated location. My suitemates were very nice, which makes me lucky I suppose. Some of my friends had horror stories about attempted murder by nut allergy, violation of boundaries, a violent lack of hygeine, and an incident with boiling water and the campus police. The worst of my suitemates was Paul, who was just weird and awkward. He dropped out after the first semester and we converted his room to a game/party room.</p><p>I didn’t let my parents drop me off at campus or help me move in. I woke up late on my last morning at home, squinting my eyes against the harsh ten o’ clock sunlight and stumbling through my morning routine on muscle memory alone. I brushed my teeth, roughly applied deodorant, and ran a brush through my hair before shoving the last of my toiletries in a ditty bag. I fried a single egg while a slice of bread toasted for a few minutes too long. I wolfed down my breakfast and washed the burnt taste from my mouth with cheap coffee. My mother was in tears saying goodbye to her baby and my father grunted a goodbye from behind his newspaper. I said something like, “Bye Mom, bye Dad. I’ll see you this winter.” before closing the screen door behind me, throwing my backpack into the passenger seat, shoving my ditty bag into a suitcase in the back seat, and driving off to college on my own.</p><p>The car ride there was long, maybe three hours including the winding mountain road. I sang along to the songs on my iPod and drummed on the wheel. I smoked a cigarette and rolled down my window. I stuck my hand out and yelled that I was free. Damn my mother for being so clingy and damn my father for being so detached. Ninety minutes in, I took a break and pulled into the shoulder so that I could stretch and relieve myself. I was well into the mountains and figured this was as good a place to stop as any. I hiked a minute or so into the woods so that nobody could see me from the road. I threw my cigarette against a tree and pissed on it to put it out. As I emerged from the woods, I saw an officer leaning against my car. “Shit,” I muttered under my breath. He had a smug look on his face that told me I was going to get a ticket for something.</p><p>He saw me, smirked with the side of his mouth, and tipped his head in a greeting.</p><p>I shoved my hands in my pockets and stopped a couple dozen feet from him. “Is there a problem?”</p><p>“Nossir, just making sure you came back to your car.” His vowels were stretched out and his consonants were clipped. I couldn’t quite place his accent but it felt incredibly rural. He smiled with his mouth. It made me uneasy.</p><p><br/>
“Do people tend to leave their packed cars on the side of the road?” It was obvious that I was a student heading to the University.</p><p>“Sometimes,” he chuckled darkly to himself.</p><p>I felt uneasy and my eyes flickered to his belt, looking for a gun. “Well, I’m back from my bathroom break and I’d very much like to get on my way. Are you going to keep me?”</p><p>He squinted his eyes, sizing me up. “Naw.” He shook his head. “But be careful in the woods, especially by yourself. There’s predators in there that ain’t afraid of humans.” I nodded and stared as I waited for him to get back in his car and drive away. “Have a nice afternoon.” The officer tipped his hat and pushed himself off of my car. He smiled again, but it didn’t make it to his eyes.</p><p>When his car disappeared around the bend I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. There was something weird about him that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I shook my head and made my way to the driver side door when I noticed a slip of paper on the windshield. A ticket. I’d apparently sped past his speed trap a curve or two ago. “Fuck you.” I snarled, balled up the ticket, and threw it into the passenger seat with my backpack. I angrily rubbed hand sanitizer in and wrenched the car keys in the ignition. For the rest of the drive I smoked another cigarette in silence, gripping the wheel with white knuckles and sneering at the forest that passed me.</p><p>When I saw the campus come into view I forgot my brooding. Flicking my cigarette butt out of the window, I pulled into the parking lot and made my way to the check in booth for freshmen. The process felt like controlled chaos and I shambled my way from table to table, picking up my room keys, paperwork to fill out, student ID card, orientation pamphlets, and a small pile of useless fliers. I found my dorm building on the map, drove my car to the closest lot, and began to move in. My suitemates were in various states of unpacked and we all said brusque hellos and tried to settle into our rooms. Some parents were there, watching their sons set up their college lives and chatting with each other about how proud they were to have such responsible kids. I even heard someone say they were so happy to have their dear Seth follow in his father’s, grandfather’s, and great-grandfather’s footsteps by attending Grey University. Great, I thought, a Legacy.</p><p>They all gave me disapproving looks that I didn’t blame them for. I smelled like a bad influence and looked like a slob. Hell, I gave myself a disapproving look in the bathroom mirror when they were gone. I wasn’t dressed cool and I don’t think I carried myself with the swagger of someone who thought highly of themself. If I’m being honest, I was a shithead back then. But at least I knew I was a shithead and I knew my place.</p><p>I finished moving in, left my car in the student lot, and freshened up. The four of us sat down in our rooms, doors wide open, waiting for each other to say something. Eventually, Seth edged his way towards the center of the common area, nervously checked a shiny watch on his wrist, and cleared his throat. “I think the cafeteria is serving dinner now, and I am starving after moving in. If you guys would like to come with me, feel free to. I will be heading out in a minute.” He said this like it was an announcement, with the tone of someone in charge. And who were we to deny that? Us three, we followed Seth to dinner because he told us to without saying it and I was grateful that he had asked us in his own way. Dinner wasn’t too bad; there were flaky biscuits, a tasty gravy, some crispy fried chicken, and a rich chocolate cake for dessert. We talked to each other and got to know who we were living with.</p><p>“Yeah, pretty much everyone on my father’s side has gone here since it was founded. I think my great grand-father was in the first graduating class or something. Honestly, my parents would not have let me apply anywhere else. And with our history I think I would have been accepted if I had failed all of my high school classes.”</p><p>“You aren’t mad at your parents for that?” I asked. “For taking away your agency?”</p><p>“Are you kidding? I am so happy that I did not have to choose a college. After this I will get hired by my father’s office and I will not need to worry about making any big decisions for a very long time.” He grinned broadly, flashing his perfect white teeth.</p><p>“Lucky!” Paul looked at Seth with a mixture of awe and jealousy. “I wish I could not make any big decisions.”</p><p>Trevor talked around a bite of cake. “I dunno man, I’m glad I don’t have to live with a family name hanging over me.” Seth shrugged nonchalantly as if it didn’t bother him because nothing did, and I loved him for it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Cigarettes and Earl Grey</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luke and his new roommates explore Bleck Hall at night.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>AN: chapters 1 &amp; 2 were written before posting, but i'm writing the rest rn in real time so apologies for any delays</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>We stayed up that night talking about the school and ourselves. It was orientation week so there were no classes to worry about and we had the campus to ourselves.</p><p>“I’m here for History on a scholarship.” Trevor leaned back in one of the chairs in our common area. “And if all goes well, I’ll be here through graduate school and eventually I’ll be a tenured professor sitting in a comfortable office being paid to write a book about the Renaissance every decade or so.”</p><p>“Is there something special about Grey’s History department?” I wasn’t aware of any nationally recognized Grey University programs or professors.</p><p>“Nah, I just like the forest. And it’s not too competitive since it’s so far out of the way.”</p><p>Seth smirked.</p><p>“What about you?” Trevor nudged Paul with his shoe.</p><p>“Art.” Paul didn’t look up from his sketchbook, which he was scratching in with a charcoal stick.</p><p>“Could we see some of your work?”</p><p>“No.”</p><p>Trevor, Seth, and I shrugged at each other. “Seth?”</p><p>“I am a Literature major.” He laughed softly. “I do not need a useful degree because my father will get me a job when I graduate, so I am here to enjoy myself. If you want to know any of the secrets of Grey University, I am certain I can surprise you.” I arched an eyebrow and Seth locked eyes with me. “Do you want to know, Luke?”</p><p>It took me a second to find my voice. “Yeah, I would love that. Are there any secret rooms?”</p><p>“Of course there are, do you want to see one?” Seth smiled his brilliant smile and it was all I could do to say yes. Secrets and adventure on my first night at Grey University? “Great, let me grab my coat. Who else is coming?”</p><p>All four of us ended up setting off together. I slipped a sweatshirt over my head and grabbed a pack of cigarettes and my lighter. Paul stayed in his black hoodie, but he switched out his sketchbook for a smaller drawing pad. Trevor stayed in his tee shirt. Seth came out of his room in a coat that looked expensive. “Shall we?” He held the door and ushered us out.</p><p>I started smoking as we walked around campus and held out my pack. “Anybody want one?”</p><p>“No,” said Paul, monosyllabic as always.</p><p>“Sure,” said Trevor.</p><p>Seth hesitated. “Are you going to tempt me into giving up a year of my life at a time?” I almost stammered some sort of denial but he put a hand on my shoulder and said softly, “I am teasing you.” He pulled a cigarette out of the pack slowly and put it in his mouth, leaning his head forward for me to light it for him. I fumbled with my lighter and he smirked.</p><p>I put the pack and my lighter in my pocket while Seth choked on what I’m sure was his first drag off a cigarette ever. I laughed and clapped him on the back. “You’ll get used to it, but it will cost a few more years.” He laughed dryly and I knew I would do anything to hear that again.</p><p>We marched forward into Bleck Hall, Seth holding the heavy oak door for us. Trevor hesitated. “Don’t they lock these at night?”</p><p>“Never.” Seth grinned devilishly. “The buildings are open all day, every day. Even on holidays. Some people love to work and never take time off and the University will accommodate them.” This was evidently enough for Trevor and we let Seth lead us deep into the bowel of Bleck. We descended so many staircases I knew we must be well underground. The air was colder and I stuck my hands into my armpits to keep them warm. Trevor shivered, his teeth chattering and breath clouding in front of him. Paul was enchanted, eyes wide as he greedily lapped up the detailed architecture of the building. “There are a lot of storage rooms, extra offices, and private libraries down here,” Seth explained. “And because some of these rooms belonged to professors who have long been dead, there are plenty of unexplored rooms with weird passages and hidden compartments.”</p><p>“What about ghosts.” Paul said this without intonation and I was startled by the intensity in his voice.</p><p>“There are, of course, stories…” Seth winked and gave a knowing smile, but refused to elaborate when pressed. “Now, let us explore this office.” He gave a door with frosted glass a light push and it slowly creaked open, complaining about its rusted hinges and warped wood. The room was dark and dusty. Seth pulled a string, lighting up a warm bulb hanging from the ceiling. It hummed and swayed slightly, flickering loudly occasionally. The walls were covered in bookshelves overflowing with thick volumes of yellowed pages. I picked up one and started thumbing through it. The pages were rough against my fingers and the dust felt almost sticky on my hands. It was full of old poetry and dedicated the bottom half of the pages of the notes needed to understand it. I rubbed my hands against my sweatshirt when I was done.</p><p>I saw Paul had cornered Seth and was speaking quick and low. “Which areas are the most active? I need to know. Bleck is haunted – the most haunted place on campus! Has anyone in your family seen anything...supernatural?”</p><p>Seth was smirking – he did this a lot whenever Paul pressed him for answers. “Maybe I will show you another night. This is our first and I would hate to have been the person responsible for scaring you off.” He looked past Paul’s shoulder and I caught his gaze. I raised my eyebrow and he winked at me. I looked away quickly, blushing slightly and thanking the gods for the poor lighting, which hid my embarrassment.</p><p>Trevor gave a yelp of surprise and the three of us snapped our heads to look at him. He was standing by a shelf that was angled slightly away from the wall. “There’s a room behind this!” We rushed to him and tried to peer behind the shelf. “Quick guys, let’s push this open more!”</p><p>“How did you find this, Trevor?” I asked as we widened the opening.</p><p>“I saw the shelf and thought about those hidden bookshelf doors and started tipping the books looking for a trigger!”</p><p>“Which book was the right one? What do you think this room is for?”</p><p>“Oh, none of the books worked but I did see a button on the underside of one of the shelves.” He pointed to a small, barely perceptible bump that made a clicking sound when I pressed on it.</p><p>“Whoah, cool.”</p><p>“If you pay close attention to the classrooms and offices, you will be able to find doors like this all over. Some of these hideaways are known by the faculty, but most of them have been abandoned for decades.” Seth vanished into the hidden chamber.</p><p>Beyond the shelf, the room was dark. Paul dug his phone out of his pocket, turned on its flashlight, and slunk forward silently. Trevor and I looked at each other, shrugged, and pulled out our own phone flashlights. We followed Seth and Paul into the dark.</p><p>The walls were mostly bare save for a single bookshelf at the end of the long dusty chamber, a ratty tapestry hanging on one side, and an empty hearth on the opposite. There was a decaying chair behind a wide desk covered in papers and open journals. Paul was hunched over the desk, scribbling furiously in his sketchbook and muttering under his breath. I slowly approached Paul and the documents. “Hey Paul...what are you doing?”</p><p>He didn’t even look at me as he responded. “Taking notes.”</p><p>“Yeah…” I tried to get help from Trevor but he shrugged and shook his head. “Why are you taking notes?”</p><p>“Runes.”</p><p>“Well, that explains that.” Seth smirked. “Luke, come here and look at these notebooks.”</p><p>I warily walked around Paul, who had returned to muttering, and met Seth in the back corner. He handed me a notebook with yellowed, crinkled pages. “Do you suppose this is someone’s research? Or perhaps a personal diary?” He flipped through another volume casually and flashed a brilliant, mischievous smile at me.</p><p>I gawked stupidly for a second, blushed furiously, and tried to bury my face in the notebook. The dusty notebook. I sneezed loudly. And something in the room moved. It was a small sound, just a rustle. But in the hidden office, every noise was amplified. All three of us looked at Seth, expecting some sort of answer. He was still, eyes wide and mouth pressed into a thin white line. After a moment, he gave a curt nod and said to all of us, “I believe it is time to leave. Quickly.” Trevor and I hurried out of the hidden room but Paul stayed at the desk. “Paul. We are leaving. Now.” Paul didn’t respond and the sound of his pencil scratching at the paper made me cringe with fear. “Paul. Leave the desk.” Seth’s voice was hard now. Angry, even.</p><p>Paul looked up with a cold fury in his eyes. “Not yet.” He went back to his sketchbook. Seth slowly approached the desk and put a hand on the papers Paul was copying from. He leaned in closely and whispered something right in Pauls ear. Paul put the pencil down and nodded. As Seth returned to the bookshelf door, Paul slipped a piece of paper into his sketchbook. He hurried after the rest of us and Seth pushed the shelf back into place.</p><p>Trevor rubbed his arms for warmth. “Hey Seth, what was that back there?”</p><p>“Probably nothing, but I do not want to take chances in a hidden room in the basement of Bleck Hall.” Seth started up the stairs and I followed two steps at a time. We returned to our rooms without incident and Paul locked himself away instantly. Trevor mumbled something about taking a warm shower to get the cold out of his system. Which left Seth and me in the common room.</p><p>“Did you enjoy yourself?” Seth shrugged off his coat and turned on an electric kettle. “Would you like tea? It’s Earl Grey”</p><p>“Uh sure, tea would be great.” I sat down in one of the wooden chairs with stiff cushions. “I had a blast, actually. Thanks. Do you know all of the secrets here?”</p><p>Seth chuckled softly. “No, not nearly half of them. But that is still a lot of secrets to know.” He disappeared into his room with his coat and came out with two mugs. “Cream and sugar?”</p><p>“Fancy,” I teased him. “But yes. Please.” Seth returned from his room again, this time with some expensive-looking teaware. The kettle finished and he started to steep the tea, humming as he worked. I didn’t recognize the tune. “Do you know what Paul meant by ‘runes?’”</p><p>“I am sure they were just symbols or letters in some foreign script. Something makes me think that Paul is more excited about the secrets he believes are hidden at Grey University than the classes or professors. I hope he is not too disheartened by reality.”</p><p>“Is this place not really haunted?” I tried to hide my own disappointment.</p><p>“I cannot speak of the supernatural as I do not believe such stories. In my opinion the campus is full of spooky buildings and naive students who want to believe in something.” He brought me a cup of tea very carefully and sat down in a chair opposite me with his own. “Did you come here hoping for an encounter?”</p><p>“No, I’m here more because it will discourage my parents from visiting.” I shrugged. “Are you close with your family?”</p><p>A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth but Seth hid it with his tea quickly. “My parents and I have a more...business relationship. I felt much closer to my classmates than my family growing up.”</p><p>“Weren’t they here this morning talking about how happy they were for you to be going here?”</p><p>“Hah!” he laughed bitterly. “They were not my parents; they were the housekeepers who helped me move in. My parents were unable to make it today because of their work. I hardly see them out of their offices before supper, if they show up at all.” I was baffled by his strange life, with distant wealthy parents, doting housekeepers, and the weird way he dressed and spoke. Unsure of how to respond, I sipped my tea. “I take it you are not close with your parents?”</p><p>“No, my dad barely notices I’m around and my mom is like, weirdly attached to me. Like she calls me her baby but I don’t think she knows a thing about me besides the fact that she birthed me. And I guess that I’m now in college.” I shrugged awkwardly and tried to push the conversation away from my parents. “Where’s your family from? Are they local since they have such strong ties to Grey?”</p><p>“Yes, actually. Their estate is near the village.”</p><p>“There’s a village?” My jaw dropped.</p><p>“Of course there is! I would call it a town but it is far too small for that. There is a quaint little shopping district. I will have to take you there some time.”</p><p>“What work do your parents do?”</p><p>“I am not privy to all of the details, but to my knowledge they deal with international trade. Importing a lot of expensive inventory from Europe. That sort of thing.” He waved the thought away with his hand. “But enough about my parents’ work, I will have enough of that when I have graduated. What do your parents do?”</p><p>“My mom and dad both work in offices but I’m not really sure what they do. My dad does like, data entry or something? And my mom calls a lot of people but I’m not sure if it's a sales position or something else.” I shrugged and slid a little lower in my seat, shifting to get comfortable. The two of us sat in silence for a while, sipping our tea every now and then and listening to the shower run and Trevor sing a pop song poorly.</p><p>“I am going to retire to my room for the night,” Seth announced suddenly. “May I take your cup?” He held out his hand and collected the dishes. “Thank you for chatting.” He gave me a curt bow of his head and left me alone.</p><p>Trevor emerged from the bathroom in his boxers with a towel thrown over his shoulder. I cleared my throat and he yelped, jumping in the air. “Dude! Don’t look! I thought you’d all gone to sleep oh my god.” He fumbled with the towel as he hastily attempted to cover himself a little more.</p><p>“Trevor, man,” I tried to speak through my laughter. “Dude, you need bigger boxers.”</p><p>“Shut up! Oh my god.” He hissed, his face flushed. “You didn’t see anything and if you speak of this to anyone I will kill you.” Trevor ran into his room and slammed the door. When I had recovered from my fit of laughter, I stood up and got ready for bed.</p><p>I had trouble falling asleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about Seth, with his fancy clothes and stiff way of speaking. Part of me hated him. He was a Legacy! How could I not? But he was pleasant to talk to and didn’t come off as mean-spirited or snobby. I didn’t trust him or respect his position. “Blood money for sure,” I mumbled to myself. I fell asleep thinking about how pleasant his laughter was to hear and how much I resented him for his parents’ estate. His stupid coat and his brilliant smile. And tea. Of course he offered me tea. It was sweet and warm. And so goddamn pretentious.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Exploring Bleck Hall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luke explores Bleck Hall during the day to search for his classes</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>AN: i always struggle with pacing so im trying to keep each chapter between 1500 and 3000 words and only have one important thing happen in them</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was well past ten in the morning when I could no longer ignore the harsh sunlight against my eyelids. I sat up, stretching and yawning and scratching myself. My stomach grumbled a little, so I splashed water on my face, brushed my teeth, and applied deodorant. I went to the bathroom quickly and pulled on some warm sweats and a cozy hoodie. When I opened the door, I found Paul sitting in the hallway with a backpack on his lap. He looked up and then scrambled to his feet. “Locked out,” he offered as an explanation. He swung the backpack onto his shoulder with a grunt.</p><p>“How long have you been out here?”</p><p>“Nine.” He pushed past me and disappeared into his room. I triple checked my pockets for my keys and wallet; I doubted Paul would have let me back in and the others seemed to still be asleep. I lit a cigarette and headed to the dining hall. </p><p>The breakfast felt far too fancy for a college cafeteria, but I assumed that they were making an effort for Orientation Week. I loaded my plate with eggs Benedict, French toast, an orange, a cranberry muffin, and a cheese danish. The coffee tasted expensive and I doctored it with a splash of cream and a spoonful of sugar. It would be a waste of luxury to take it black. I ate and lounged at a table in the corner of the massive room. I suppose that its size made sense since, being the only dining hall, it needed to accommodate the whole campus. There were booths and tables and counters, and even a patio. </p><p>When I had finished breakfast, I decided to take a walk around the campus to try and locate my classes. I thought about returning to the suite and asking Seth for a tour since I was certain that as a Legacy, he would know the place well. But I hadn’t seen him and didn’t want to be a bother. Consulting my phone for my schedule, I wandered the floors of Bleck Hall and planned the quickest route for each day of classes. The building was beautiful – intricate metalwork on the windows glimmered in the sunlight, which fell onto the warm, dark wood that covered the walls. The lounges were full of cozy-looking armchairs and expensive leather couches. Occasionally I found myself gazing out over the campus from tall, pointed windows with marvelous detailing. I felt truly lost in a fantastical castle, and the electrical outlets didn’t even register when I scanned the rooms; they were perfectly subtle. The whole place felt like some medieval European setting grafted into twenty-first century America. If I hadn’t been so enchanted, I’m sure it would have been slightly uncomfortable, living with the two dissonant experiences. But as I said, I was completely enchanted.</p><p>On the third floor, I found a small library. Well, small compared to the actual campus library. It took up half of the floor and had shelves that stretched up to the ceilings and a ladder on a track to reach the upper layers. I made myself comfortable at a long table with green Tiffany banker’s lamps (though I didn’t recognize them as Tiffany’s at the time). It was nice being by myself; I felt at ease. Noticing an ashtray in front of me, I lit another cigarette. Danm, I thought, I’m running low. I should ask Seth to come with me to the village and see if I can pick up some more. I added that to my mental to-do list. Thinking of Seth reminded me of the secret room at the bottom of Bleck Hall with runes and dusty research. I wondered if I could find it by myself during the day, and if I’d be able to figure out what was hidden there. After lunch, I promised myself. </p><p>Before I went to the cafeteria, I texted the suite group chat. </p><p>L: im gonna go get lunch any1 wanna come w/?<br/>
S: No, thank you. I am going to grab a bite later. Have fun.<br/>
T: Sure!<br/>
T: Lemme get dressed real quick<br/>
T: R u at the dorm rn?<br/>
L: almost<br/>
L: c u soon</p><p>I changed into jeans and a t-shirt and met up with Trevor in the common area. “Paul doesn’t want to come?”</p><p>“I guess not,” he shrugged. “Haven’t heard from him at all today.”</p><p>I shrugged back and we headed out. The walk was a few minutes, but Trevor and I didn’t fill the time with any conversation. Both of us scrolled through various feeds on our phones, swiped our ID cards to enter the cafeteria, collected a fresh panini from the sandwich counter and a cup of water, and sat down opposite each other at a small table. Trevor wolfed his food down so quickly I barely noticed he’d had any to begin with. As I swallowed my last bite, he cleared his throat. “Does Paul kind of...freak you out at all?” He leaned forward conspiratorially and lowered his voice.</p><p>“How do you mean?”</p><p>“I mean last night with the muttering and scribbling!” he practically hissed.</p><p>“Yeah, that was a little weird,” I conceded. “But I had him pegged as one of those like, emo quiet kids.” He raised an eyebrow. “If that makes sense.”</p><p>“Kinda? I dunno, he kinda creeps me out.” Trevor shuddered. “You and Seth are lucky to be on the other side of the suite from his room. I heard him drawing late last night. I didn’t even know you could draw loudly!” He snorted a laugh. “What about Seth?”</p><p>I felt my cheeks flush. “What about him?”</p><p>“He talks so stiffly! I feel kind of weird living with him, like he’ll think I’m a peasant compared to him.” </p><p>“Oh, yeah. Totally.” I grinned. “I feel like I’m living next to a prince. But we’ll corrupt his lordship with our commoner ways.” </p><p>He raised his cup of water. “Cheers, bro. I’ll drink to that.” We clinked our glasses together and each took a swig. We took our dishes to the dish return and exited the dining hall. “Are you headed back to the dorm?”</p><p>“Nah, I’m gonna go look for my classes at Bleck some more. You?”</p><p>“I’m gonna take a nap while I still have time.” Trevor laughed. “Peace, bro.” He raised a hand in a wave and left me. </p><p>I made my way to Bleck Hall and stared up at the windows on the facade. From the ground, I could see the tops of the library shelves. I opened the doors and took the stairs down. It was cold under the building, but I guess that made sense. I found the room we’d explored after a bit of searching and pushed the frosted glass door open. I closed it softly behind me for some reason, I suppose I didn’t want anyone to walk in and discover the secret room. That was just for me. And the other three, I guess. I pushed the button and slipped past the bookshelf-door. My jaw dropped. The papers that covered the desk – all the runes Paul had been looking at – were missing. The research was still there on the shelf. But the loose papers were gone.</p><p>Paul probably took them, I rationalized to myself. I mean, what the hell was he doing outside in the morning? Having breakfast? A poor excuse. I tried to remember if he had been carrying anything. Whatever, it’s not like there’s some monster on campus. Pushing the thought aside, I went to the shelf, picked a notebook at random, and started to page through it. It was filled with a rough script and hastily drawn and labeled diagrams. I struggled to read it, but the illustrations suggested that it was about some medical condition. There were dental illustrations, maps of veins and arteries, and a cross section of an eye. I should have asked myself what it was doing in a hidden chamber underneath the Literature Department, but the thought never crossed my mind. I put the notebook back and plucked another one at random. This one was written in a neat and small handwriting, entirely uppercase letters. It was also written in French, which I didn’t understand. I pulled volume after volume, looking for more in English. There were quite a few in that French handwriting, one that I thought was empty until I recognized Hebrew characters later – or earlier, I suppose – in the book, a chunk of journals in Korean, two fragile journals in Baybayin, and a single tattered volume penned in Romanian Cyrillic. I had no luck finding more English volumes and eventually gave up my search. I’ll have to ask Seth what he makes of all this when I see him again. Or maybe I should wait until he mentions the secret room. I don’t want to come off as obsessive like Paul. </p><p>My stomach growled and I startled myself. “Shit,” I mumbled as I pulled out my phone to check the time. It was well past six. I had completely lost track of time. I started to return the books to the shelf in the order that I pulled them, or at least as best I could. It’s not like anyone’s going to check this shelf. The dust here is so thick I’d be willing to bet money that it hasn’t been touched in at least five years. I finished up and wiped my brow with the back of my wrist. I was sweating a lot and breathing heavily. I choked on some dust and coughed until tears filled my eyes. </p><p>“Are you dying?” Seth sauntered in with one of my sweat shirts over his arm. “Because it sure sounds like you are dying.”</p><p>“Jesus Christ, you scared me man,” I gasped. He offered me my shirt and a tiny plastic water bottle. “Thank you,” I rasped. “What are you doing here?” I pulled the sweatshirt over my head. </p><p>“Trevor mentioned that you had gone to Bleck and you were not answering my texts. I assumed you had gone to the sub-basement where the service is spotty.” He smirked as he gave me a once over. “I assumed correctly.”</p><p>I was lucky my face was red from choking. “You texted?”</p><p>“Yes. We were going to get dinner. I told them to go ahead while I collected you. Are you coming?” He gestured for me to leave. </p><p>“Yes. Yeah. Sorry.” I stammered my way through a rough apology and hurried up the stairs. “How long have they been in the dining hall?” </p><p>“No more than ten minutes, I went to fetch you right away.” He smiled. “You will not be late. Well...perhaps a little but I promise it will not be a big deal.” He led me the rest of the way to the cafeteria. </p><p>Trevor eagerly waved me to the table and Seth took a seat next to me and across from Trevor. “Where were you? Were your classes really that hard to find?”</p><p>“No, no. I just went exploring Bleck Hall and lost track of time. There’s a really cool library on the third floor!” Seth raised an eyebrow in my peripheral but I ignored it. “It’s got those fancy desk lamps and really cozy chairs and there are fireplaces all over the building.”</p><p>“Lucky,” Trevor groaned. “I hope the History Department has a cool building too.” </p><p>“Did you look for your classes Paul?” I secretly hoped that he’d explain what he’d been up to this morning.</p><p>“No.” Great.</p><p>“How are the runes?”</p><p>Paul’s mouth thinned. “Fine.” He narrowed his eyes and gave me a cold glare.</p><p>“Cool. Seth?” I turned and looked away from Paul.</p><p>“I do not need to look for my classes; I am very familiar with the area.”</p><p>“Oh! That reminds me! Would you show me around the village? I need to grab some supplies and don’t really like the idea of driving through the woods tonight.” </p><p>Seth blinked in surprise. “Oh...uhm...yes. I would love to show you the village.” I tried to flash him with my best smile. I’m sure it came off as a grimace. </p><p>“Trevor? Paul?” I turned to them.</p><p>“Nah, I don’t want to go out tonight.” Trevor patted his stomach. “Too full.”</p><p>“I am certain you would love to taste the night life New Chester has to offer.” Seth grinned devilishly. </p><p>“Maybe another day, fellas.”</p><p>“Suit yourself.” I shrugged.</p><p>“I’ll come.” I almost didn’t hear Paul.</p><p>“Brilliant. We should leave soon. The businesses will start to close in a couple hours.” Seth pushed himself to his feet.</p><p>I pulled out my keys and jangled them. “We can go from here, unless anyone’s got stuff at the dorm they wanted to take?”</p><p>Seth and Paul shook their heads and we left Trevor outside the dining hall. “Have fun!” he yelled after us. “Don’t stay out too late!” His laughter faded.</p><p>We piled in the car; Seth took the passenger seat and offered to navigate for me and Paul seemed content to stretch out in the back. I would have snapped at him if I cared about my car. Or if he could hear me; music leaked from his headphones and I almost worried about his hearing before I remembered I didn’t care. “Tell me where to go, local boy.” Seth playfully swatted my arm and started directing me.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. New Chester</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Seth shows Luke and Paul the village of New Chester</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>AN: me: Seth and Paul just met, give them some time to get to know each other<br/>also me: they need to be so gay together please can they have a single kiss</p><p>i promise they're gay. they'll be gay together later. they met yesterday lmao</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was a fifteen minute drive to the village. The road was dark and I wouldn’t have caught the sign that read “New Chester Exit Here” if Seth hadn’t pointed it out. The shopping district was really just a block of businesses. “Is there a market or liquor store?”</p><p>“Yes, the Hardy General Store probably has whatever you want.”</p><p>“You coming with us Paul?”</p><p>“Nope.” He raised his phone to show us that he had a map and disappeared.</p><p>“Looks like it’s just you and me.” I nudged Seth with my elbow. “Did you need anything down here?”</p><p>“No. I just wanted to show you one of my favorite places to stop after you finish your errand.”</p><p>“You spoil me.” I couldn’t help smiling. I walked in the store and turned around to find Seth stopped at the door, looking up at the sign. “Seth, come in! I promise I’ll be quick.”</p><p>Hardy’s was not the kind of store I was used to. There was a long counter between us and the merchandise, which was sorted into cubicles that were labeled with hanging tags. Everything was wooden and the lights seemed to be real lanterns. It was pleasantly rustic and felt completely out of its time. An older woman stood behind the counter and welcomed us in with a kindly voice.<br/>“Ah, young Master Bleck! I see you have brought a friend. It is lovely to meet you, Mister…” she held out her hand and waited for me to introduce myself.</p><p>“Luke. Just Luke.” I tried to shake her hand but I ended up just sort of limply squeezing it.</p><p>Seth nodded in a slight bow. “Good evening Missus Hardy. How has your family been?”</p><p>“They are doing well, thanks to your parents. Please pass on my gratitude when you see them next. Now Mister Luke, what are you looking for?”</p><p>“Uh, do you have any cigarettes?”</p><p>“Of course, my dear. How many packs would you like?” She grabbed a step ladder and reached for a cubby just above her head level.</p><p>“Uh, two please?”</p><p>“Such manners your friend has, Master Bleck!” She returned to the counter with two packs of an obscure brand. “Your total is fourteen dollars.” She smiled, revealing yellowed teeth.</p><p>I pulled out my card but Seth stopped my hand. “Cash only, Luke.” He pointed to a sign on the counter. “I will pay for them.” He opened his wallet and pulled out a fresh twenty dollar bill without a single crease. “Keep the change Missus Hardy. I hope I will see you soon.” He smiled and gave another nod-bow before he left.</p><p>“Yeah, thank you!” I called over my shoulder as I followed him out to the street. “Dude, you didn’t have to pay for me! How can I make it up to you?”</p><p>“It is perfectly okay, Luke. Do not worry about it at all. If you want to pay me back, come with me. I would very much like to show you something.” He set off up the street.</p><p>“Seth what are you showing me? We’re already past the shopping district!” I pleaded.</p><p>“Have faith, Luke. This is going to be good. I promise.” My heart jumped every time he said my name and I almost pestered him again to hear “Luke” against his lips again. Seth led me deeper into New Chester and finally stopped at a small one-story building. “We have arrived,” he whispered in a voice that promised adventure. “Come in.” There was a click and he opened the door. I entered.</p><p>The building was just a reception area and a small office, really. It was fancy, though. Way more classy than Hardy’s. This place had a marble receptionist desk, sleek computers, an electronic lock on the office door, and sterile lights. LEDs, I assumed. The floor was marble too and my shoes clicked against it in a satisfying manner. “Wow, Seth. I don’t know what the fuck this place is, but I think it looks very nice.”</p><p>He smiled warmly. “I am glad you find it agreeable. Now, come into my office.” He swiped a card and opened the next door.</p><p>“Why the hell do you have an office?” I gaped as I took in the room. “I mean, what the fuck do you need one for? You’re like eighteen and have a dorm and an estate.”</p><p>“Sometimes I want to get away from my parents’ world. The campus, the shopping area in the village, the estate – they have their fingerprints everywhere. I took a small amount of money and purchased myself this space. Cash only so there is no paper trail, of course. This,” Seth spread his arms, “this is my space. Welcome.”</p><p>I was going to make a joke about how he bought himself an office, probably before he was a legal adult. Or about how formal he had been. But I figured I was the first person he had shown this to. “Do you have a receptionist?” I gestured back to the desk.</p><p>“No, I just wanted to leave the computer outside.” He smirked and shared a private joke with himself. “This room is more of a studio space for me.” He inhaled sharply. “Which reminds me, I wanted to show you this.” He went over to a big wooden desk and opened a drawer. “Remember how I said I knew the secrets of Grey University? Have a look.” He withdrew a leather folio and opened it on the desk. I walked up to look at the papers he was spreading. “My family has an extensive archive with documents about the history and use of Bleck Hall, as well as some other buildings.”</p><p>“Wait. Shit. You’re Seth Bleck. As in Bleck Hall Bleck.” Seth nodded hesitantly, looking confused. “Fuck. And Missus Hardy said that. Shit. I am a moron, how did I not put that together!?”</p><p>“Luke, are you all right?” Concern – genuine concern, bless this boy – crept into his voice.</p><p>“Yeah. I’m just a dumbass. Go on about your secrets and archives.”</p><p>“Er...If you say so...Well, I was curious about the room we explored last night, so I did some research. I believe that the office we were in was originally used for a professor of Folklore and Literature. School records indicate that the sub-basement of Bleck Hall has been changed to extra storage within the past twenty years, but the professor of Folklore position had been vacant for some time before then. The last professor disappeared thirty or forty years ago. He had been losing his mind, according to these papers, but he vanished before the University worked out a package for his dismissal. He had been working on a book about blood rituals before he left and I think that Paul was scribbling down the symbols that this professor had been collecting for whatever spellwork he thought was needed in his research.” He gave me a cautious smile and waited.</p><p>“Seth...wow! How did you do this so quickly? And why? I mean I think this is incredible, but...just...wow.” I shook my head in awe. “This is incredible.” He beamed and I knew I would do anything to make him beam like that again.</p><p>“I just wanted to prove to you that I am not all talk. I know most of the secrets of Grey University and I love a good mystery, so I will know the rest of them soon enough.” He said this so surely, it felt like he was declaring his mission statement to me. I couldn’t help smiling. I mean, this was just so cute.</p><p>“I’m serious, Seth. This is impressive. Like, I’m blown away right now. You did this all today?”</p><p>“Last night, I was having trouble sleeping.” He shrugged nonchalantly.</p><p>“Oh, wow man are you good now? We can go back if you’re tired?”</p><p>“I will be all right, but I appreciate your concern. It is endearing.” He smiled at me and I knew he saw me flush; there was a satisfied glint in his eyes. “We should go, though. I believe Paul is almost ready to head back to the campus.”</p><p>I looked at the night sky as Seth locked up behind us. There wasn’t much light pollution out here, so I could see the backbone of the night sky. Opposite that, the full moon gleamed. It was crisp and perfect. I wanted to take my time walking back so that I could soak up the rural magic I felt. I could hear a soft breeze rustling the leaves in the forest, an owl’s hoot, and a wolf’s howl. The air felt completely wild and I was enchanted. I felt my phone vibrate and Seth spoke. “We should hurry to the car now.” He sped down the street and I jogged to keep up.</p><p><br/>Paul was leaning against my car, looking bored. “You find everything you needed?” He nodded, though how he heard me, I don’t know. The music he was listening to made we feel like I needed to raise my voice to talk to Seth. We got back in the car and started off towards campus. Seth navigated for me and was patient, even when I missed a turn. Paul sighed loudly from the backseat.</p><p>About five minutes from campus, he sat up so quickly it startled me. I slammed my foot on the brakes and the car came squealing to a stop. “Jesus, man! Paul! What the fuck was that about?”</p><p><br/>Paul looked pale – paler than normal – and stammered, “N...nothing. I...there...it...I thought I saw...saw something. Never...nevermind. Keep going. Sorry.”</p><p>Seth and I shared a concerned look, but we shrugged since there was nothing we could do. When I parked the car, Paul bolted towards the dorms. Seth waited for me as I locked the car. “Thank you, Luke, for inviting me. And for coming to my office. I really appreciate it.” He smiled and looked up at me.</p><p>“Of course, Seth. Thank you for showing me your office. And for navigating. And for paying for my cigarettes. Do you want one? Why am I offering, you bought them. Would you like one of your cigarettes?” I laughed nervously.</p><p>“Why don’t we share one?”</p><p>“Shit, I am a bad influence on you.”</p><p>Seth cocked his head. Of course he cocked his head. “Why do you say that?”</p><p>“Dude, I think you just said your first contraction. And you’re smoking with me. Two bad habits. These are going to cost a lot of years.” I nudged him with my elbow and hopped on the hood of my car. “Come on, let’s look at the stars while we smoke.” Cautiously, he joined me. We leaned back, our heads against the windshield, and watched the stars as we passed the cigarette back and forth. Seth didn’t choke this time.</p><p>“Smoking with you is worth the years it will cost me, I think. I am not sold on contractions, though. Saying it felt dirty.” He turned to make sure I was laughing at his joke. I smiled wider so he could see I loved it. We stayed there after the cigarette was finished, but we didn’t light another one.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Flu Season</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luke has a flu and Seth plays nurse</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>AN: hi!! it's been a while since i updated &gt;m&lt; i've had a /lot/ of schoolwork to do. i want luke and seth to be happy ;w; (i know that i am in charge of that, but we will see how that goes &gt;:] )</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I didn’t love Seth then, not yet. But I was overcome with an intense fondness for him that grew unnaturally quickly. If I’m speaking honestly, it frightened me a little. This was the second evening I had known him and I was already blushing whenever he shared a joke with me. I was not subtle about my crush and that was embarrassing. Hells, it still is. When we returned to the dorm Trevor was showering. Paul’s room was closed. Seth and I each went to our rooms and waved silently. I smiled at him and closed the door to my room.</p><p>The rest of orientation week passed without incident; Seth and I made our way back to New Chester to pick up more cigarettes since we had spent a lot of time walking and smoking together. Seth didn’t cough nearly as much now. I took out some cash and bought them this time, which seemed to disappoint Seth slightly. He didn’t speak up because of course he didn’t.</p><p>Since Seth and I were both Literature majors, we ended up sharing a lot of classes. I didn’t mind at all, and we would discuss our readings and assignments in between our lectures and sections. When there were group assignments, he and I would partner up. Seth was a better writer than I was so I delegated editing to myself and we brainstormed together. For solo papers, we would often review each other’s work before the due date. It often felt like I was taking a private class with him.</p><p>We had one discussion class that took me back to the only course in high school that I ever cared for. We’d read chapters of books on our own and then have intense and engaging conversations and debates about interpretations of the text and the nature of humanity. It was all very pretentious, but I felt like I was being taken seriously by my professor and my peers and that meant the world to me.</p><p>One day, I was walking with Seth to Bleck Hall and I said, “I think that I’m finally happy.” He smiled and caught my gaze. “I completely understand how you feel and agree wholeheartedly.”</p><p>The class that I enjoyed least was focused on reading analytically and then writing about them. The term “lateral reading” grated me and I found myself intensely disinterested in reading dry articles and academic papers. These were the exact opposite of what I wanted to discuss. It was supposed to fulfill some basic writing requirement for our GEs, so I grit my teeth and took it Pass/No Pass. The professor was kind enough for my strong disliking of the course to leave a bad taste in my mouth; if he were having us read literally anything else, I would be fine with the work. Enthusiastic, even. His name was Professor Leighton, but he insisted that we called him Noah.</p><p>Noah was a local. He actually lived in New Chester rather than on campus in the faculty housing. Our final project was supposed to be an analysis and presentation on something we found from the local newspaper that interested us. Even though it was early November, Seth and I planned out what we would be researching to try and knock it out early. Bless Noah for having all of the assignments on the syllabus.</p><p>Maybe I was talking to Seth about an assignment due in five weeks because I was looking for excuses to talk to him. Or maybe I was a really diligent student.</p><p>“Luke?” Seth nudged me and I looked up. Noah was sitting on the desk in front of me. I blinked and rubbed my eyes. “If you’re too tired to come to class, I’d rather you get enough rest and send me an email.” I nodded and grabbed for my bag. “Hey.” Noah’s voice was soft and he rested his hand on my shoulder. I looked up and tried to focus my eyes on him. “If you’re struggling, you should talk to the Health Center. At the very least, they can look into insomnia or anxiety or something.” I shrugged and yawned through my nose to avoid being rude. “Okay Luke?” He wasn’t letting me go just yet, so I nodded as enthusiastically as I could. Noah’s arm relaxed. “Seth, can you make sure he actually goes to the Health Center?”</p><p>“Yes, sir.” Seth helped pull me out of my desk and into the hall. “Have you been staying up all night?”</p><p>I shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut. “No. I don’t think so. I just feel so drained.”</p><p>“Do you want to grab some lunch?” My stomach started to growl. “I will take that as a ‘yes.’” I did my best to match his pace as we marched towards the dining hall. I felt cranky and had a migraine by the time we were seated. “I think you should have some soup. I will grab you a bowl and some tea. Stay here.” I mumbled a thank you that I don’t think he heard and rested my head in my arms. Seth nudged me awake again and pushed some chicken soup and a cup of herbal tea in front of me. “I added some honey for your throat.” I was about to ask what was wrong with my throat, but I interrupted myself with a hacking cough. Seth raised an eyebrow and I gave up any attempt at resistance and grunted a weak acknowledgement. The tea was pleasant and the honey was soothing. It didn’t relieve my headache, so I started slurping the soup.</p><p>“I think I should lie down.” I had finished the soup and could feel it sloshing around in my stomach. I probably ate too much.</p><p>“That would probably be for the best, but might I recommend you retire to your room rather than lounge out here?” Jesus Christ, he really spoke like that. Before I could argue with him, Seth helped me up and we walked out of the dining hall. I was leaning heavily against him and he supported me with an arm around me. At some point I must have started to droop because I remember his shoulder was under my arm when we arrived at the suite.</p><p>“Is Luke sick?” Trevor’s voice called from his room. I stumbled towards my room, but changed course to the bathroom at the last moment.</p><p>“I think he is, I will take him to the Health Center to see what’s wrong–” I threw up into the toilet. “Yes, I would say that he is sick. I’ll just grab some medicine for him later.” Trevor must have stayed in his room or left the dorm because I don’t remember him being there for the rest of the day. Paul didn’t show up, but that was normal at this point. Seth sat with me, though. He rubbed my back and got me cold water. When I stopped throwing up, he helped me clean my face with a washcloth. If I hadn’t just vomited an entire bowl of chicken soup in front of him, I might have found the care that he took when dabbing flecks off of my face somewhat endearing. Romantic even. He led me back to my room and aided me as I got into bed. “I am going to be right back with some medicine for you,” he whispered in my ear.</p><p>I might have fallen asleep, or maybe I just didn’t process time. It seemed like he was back in an instant with an armful of medicines, immune boosters, and cough drops. “I think you have caught the flu. Did you get your shot this year?”</p><p>“Not yet, I thought the flu started around January.” It took a lot of effort to get those words out.</p><p>“It starts earlier than that, it just peaks in the winter.” He fiddled with plastic and sat down on my bedside. “I need you to sit up and take this medicine. Can you do that for me?”</p><p>I nodded, but he slipped his hand around my back and helped me pull myself up into a position that vaguely resembled sitting. “Here,” he said softly and brought the medicine cup to my lips.</p><p>“Drink.” I did. The medicine was a bitter syrup and I coughed. He brought a glass of cool water to my mouth. His hand was still pressed in between my shoulder blades. It felt ice cold, but I was almost certainly running a high fever. I felt my sweat through my shirt against his hand. This poor boy was putting up with a lot to take care of me.</p><p>“Thank you.” My voice was hoarse. “Aren’t you worried I’ll get you sick?”</p><p>“Not at all. I never get sick.” He smiled at me and I felt like everything might be okay. “Would you like me to leave you?” He started to get up.</p><p>“No, wait.” What was I doing? “Please. Stay.” I weakly patted the blanket.</p><p>“If you insist,” he grinned. “Move your legs so I can lay back.” I obliged. “Would you want to watch a movie?” I shrugged. “Is your laptop good? I can get mine if you would prefer.” I gestured to my bag, which he’d leaned against my desk. He pulled it out and handed it to me for the password. When I’d unlocked it, he took it back. “What are you in the mood for?” I shrugged. “So you are saying that I can choose the film?” I nodded. It was all I could do. “Perfect. I hope that you know exactly what you have signed up for. How does horror sound to you? Fantasy? Romance?” He was just saying words. “Excellent!” I fell asleep before he had pressed play.</p><p>At some point, he must have fallen asleep. I woke up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat and he was laying across my legs, which I had kicked out. “Sorry,” I whispered as I reached for the glass of water that he’d left on the bedside table.</p><p>“It is okay,” he mumbled sleepily. This dork didn’t even use contractions in his sleep! “Do you need to pee?”</p><p>“Yeah, can I get up?” The medicine was working and I was able to get up on my own. I stood over the toilet and relieved myself. After I flushed and washed my hands, I slipped back into my room.</p><p>“Is it okay if I grab some fresh air?”</p><p>“Sure, sure.” He smiled sleepily. I slid on some sandals and grabbed my cigarettes and lighter from my coat. Outside it was chilly, but I needed the cold air against my face. I smoked a cigarette and looked at the stars from a bench.</p><p>“Do you have another one?” I jumped. Seth had walked up behind me.</p><p>“Jesus! Yeah, here.” I offered him the last one and lit it for him.</p><p>He sat down beside me and looked at the stars with me. “How are you feeling?”</p><p>“Better, for now.” I leaned against him.</p><p>“I think you are not supposed to smoke when you are sick.” I shrugged and sucked on the cigarette. “For that matter, I do not think I should be smoking either.” I shrugged and heard his cigarette crackle softly. I nestled into his shoulder. “I think these are going to be the death of you.” He sat with me until my arms got goosebumps. I closed my eyes and smelled him. Cigarette smoke and sandalwood. “We should get you back inside.”</p><p>“Thank you for taking care of me.” My throat was feeling rough after smoking. I coughed.</p><p>He handed me a lozenge. “Of course, Luke. Do you want me to stay with you for the rest of the night?” I nodded as I sucked on the honey lemon cough drop.</p><p>“Can I change into a less sweaty shirt?”</p><p>“Sure, I need to change too. Should I grab a blanket and pillow for the floor while I’m in my room?” I shook my head. He left quietly. As I was pulling my shirt over my head, I saw someone outside my window, coming back from the direction of Bleck Hall. I squinted my eyes and recognized Paul in his band hoodie. He was holding a large sketchbook and some pages dropped. He snatched them up as fast as he could and started running towards the dorms. I pulled my shirt over my head and Seth returned.</p><p>I got in bed and tried to get comfortable. He tucked me in, despite my halfhearted protests, and lay across my legs again. “Good night, Luke. If you need anything just ask. I am a light sleeper.”</p><p>Seth insisted on taking care of me while I recovered. He picked up food for me, made me tea, ensured that I was drinking enough water, and helped me when I threw up. True to his word, he didn’t end up sick as well, and I was feeling much better after a week. I was so grateful that Seth had nursed me back to health. He insisted that it wasn’t as dramatic as I made it sound, but it really meant the world to me. And maybe the fever overrode some of my impulse control, but I loved being close to him. It was comforting.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Dropout</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Luke and Seth talk about books. Paul snoops around Bleck Hall. Seth makes a scene. Paul drops out as the semester ends.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>AN: i am not a fan of how this chapter has been coming along but if i look at it anymore, i will scream. there's some indulgent placeholder conversation about carmilla and dracula because gay vampires but ideally the conversation will be more nuanced and slightly longer. also idk how to get seth to reveal that he Knows™ about the supernatural without this weird and forced scene. please forgive me in advance. i hope i like chapter VII better</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Paul seemed to be struggling with adjusting to life at Grey University, or maybe he was spending too much time in the study rooms at Bleck Hall. I saw him running back late at night fairly often and he seemed to be overworked and underslept. I felt like I should have been more worried about him, but he was so distant that it was at times hard to care about his well being. Sometimes I feel that if I had been a little bit more compassionate, he would have stuck around. I don’t know where he went, or where he is now. And neither do his parents, for that matter. Wherever he is, I hope that he’s brooding and scratching away in sketchbooks with his charcoal pencils. That seemed to be his favorite thing to do. But he didn’t leave until the end of the quarter, just before finals week. If you’re going to drop out, I guess you wouldn’t bother to do finals. But I left off before the end of our first semester, so I’ll get to Paul later.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seth nursed me back to health and I loved him for it. He slept next to me through the worst of my illness, only leaving me at night when my fever started to come down and I managed to keep my meals inside of me. Trevor raised an eyebrow when he saw Seth come out of my room one morning, but I didn’t mind that he thought we were together. And he didn’t seem to mind that we’d slept in the same room, which was a relief. I didn’t have the energy to deal with a bigot at home. Paul didn’t register that I had been sick, much less that Seth had spent a week sleeping in my bed. Seth was oddly casual about the whole thing, like he would have taken care of anyone and the physical intimacy I felt with him was blasé. That stung me a little bit, but I was embarrassed to feel so sensitive about something so small between friends and never brought it up. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Paul never joined us on our trips to New Chester and I found myself looking forward to going out, just Seth and me. Sometimes, Trevor came along if he wanted to pick up some supplies or grab a bite off campus. But I think he knew that I longed for time alone with Seth and he left us to it most of the time. Seth didn’t seem to notice that I was obviously falling for him and I think that his naivety or obliviousness made me love him more. There was something so detached from the present about him, like his mind was always stuck in the past (without the prejudices that come with). </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just because Trevor left us alone for our trips to New Chester doesn’t mean he wasn’t there the rest of the time, which I was grateful for. We ate at the dining halls together and talked about our classes. Trevor was focusing on the 1800s, which lined up with our readings. We talked about art and literature movements, formative figures like Mary Shelley, and the consequences of imperialism and industrialization. I felt like a proper college student and I loved it. We were enlightened philosophers and the dining hall was our salon. At least, that was what it was like for us. I’m sure that we were pontificating to each other, oblivious of the ways in which reality differed from our perceptions and – I’m certain – the disdain of our professors and peers who couldn’t care less about our “deep revelations about the human condition” or whatever pretentious phrase we had come up with. For all these sins, I repent. At least I can say that I was never a Philosophy major and for that I am grateful.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When Seth and I were studying by ourselves, we had long and engaging conversations about a wide range of topics. I often lost track of time and we walked back from the study rooms at Bleck Hall well past midnight. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think </span>
  <em>
    <span>Carmilla</span>
  </em>
  <span> is an interesting example of gay vampire literature, especially since it was written in the 1870s.” We had been reading Le Fanu for class and I’d been enjoying its prose and concept. “It touches on themes that I wish other vampire stories talked about more often. Like, where’s the queerness in </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dracula</span>
  </em>
  <span>? Stoker’s book feels...I don’t know...oddly conservative? Like when Mina says something like ‘Men are more tolerant.’ It just felt mean spirited to make fun of the ‘New Women’ for being independent. Maybe I’m reading it wrong, but Mina and Lucy kind of just make me think of, like, aggressively straight girls that are also hyper conservative. Like hello? You’d rather not have rights?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seth chewed on his bottom lip in thought. “Yes. I am also not a fan of Lucy’s death. It is brutal how she loses herself and becomes this monster that Van Helsing and the rest of them need to put down. It seems needlessly cruel to her character.” He shook his head. “Although, I guess that </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> the horror of it. But aside from Johnathan Harker’s torture, the only real ill that befalls any of the main men in the story is Arthur’s loss of his fiancé and Quincey’s death at the hand of Dracula’s hired help. As for </span>
  <em>
    <span>Carmilla</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I did not like that Laura was dead at the start of the story, but I suppose that it serves to show how the trauma she deals with follows her to the end of her life.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah. I didn’t appreciate the g-slur at all in </span>
  <em>
    <span>Dracula</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I know it was 1890 or whatever, but I hate it when Mark Twain throws slur around in his books too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe I was in awe of actual lesbians in a book written by a man from the nineteenth century, but I found </span>
  <em>
    <span>Carmilla</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be just a more enjoyable story!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, me too! It was also like, fairly erotic in a way I wasn’t expecting? I know that there was actually a large countercultural movement away from Puritan ideologies, but I was still caught off guard by the fairly explicit orgasm scene. And the part right after that, too: ‘Her hot lips traveled along my cheek in kisses; and she would whisper, almost in sobs, ‘You are mine, you shall be mine, you and I are one for ever.’’ Like that is such an overtly homoerotic scene and a dramatic confession of love. Gods, I love Carmilla so much.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seth sighed. “Yeah, I wish I could find someone who loved me the way Carmilla loved Laura.” I tried desperately to avoid making eye contact or blushing. I am almost certain that I failed but Seth never mentioned it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe we should get back.” I cleared my throat and checked my watch. “It’s almost two in the morning.” Seth smirked and helped me pack up my mess of notes and papers. I wanted to stay longer with him next to me, but we did have classes to get to tomorrow.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As we were leaving through the front doors of Bleck Hall, Paul darted up the stairway from the basement levels. “Good evening, Paul.” Seth raised his hand in a wave but paused when he saw the look on Paul’s face. His eyes had narrowed into a cruel glare and his jaw was set. He moved his sketchbook protectively behind him. Seth opened his mouth to say something, but I pulled him by the arm out of the building.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t think he wants to talk to us so it’s probably best if we give him some space.” Seth looked crestfallen, but he nodded his head and we made our way back to the dorm. Paul didn’t follow us. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The lower levels of Bleck are for storage and offices, not library rooms or study spaces. I wonder what he was doing down there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I sighed. “I don’t know what he was doing, but he clearly doesn’t want us to know so we should just drop it.” I shook my head and opened the door to my bedroom. Seth followed me into my room. “Oh.” My voice caught in my throat a little bit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If Paul is going to explore the secret rooms, he should have someone going with him. What if he gets stuck down there?” He was suddenly serious and intense. I didn’t like this shift.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If Paul wants a buddy, he’ll ask for one. I think he’s just poking around. That’s harmless.” Seth’s eyes narrowed. “Right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you want to…I don’t know, confront him?” I silently cursed Paul; I had been having such a nice time with Seth and now the atmosphere between us felt like it was crackling. Gone was the excitement and anticipation I felt around him. Right now, he and I were opposed and I hated how it felt. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think we should. As soon as possible, maybe tonight even.” Seth relaxed a little bit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I shook my head, but assented. “Okay, sure. We can wait for him to come back.” I sat down on my bed aggressively. I know it was dramatic, but I was a little hurt that we were…well this wasn’t exactly a fight per se, but it was a disagreement. Seth walked towards me slowly, stopping directly in front of me. He held his hands out –– not a lot, just enough for me to notice them –– and motioned for me to hold them. Hesitantly, I accepted. I shot him a look to let him know I was suspicious of his intentions. He snorted a quick laugh and pulled me to my feet. I was standing face to face with him now –– well, face to neck. He was a little bit taller than me. His arms wrapped around me and pulled me against him, his chin resting on my head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Luke, I am sorry. I am worried about Paul’s safety, but I do not want to argue with you or hurt your feelings. I respect your insight and your opinion.” I slowly brought my arms around him to reciprocate the hug. “Are you okay? Are we?” I nodded into his chest. “Good.” I could hear the smile on his face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He started to drop his arms, but I held tighter. “Just a little more.” He nodded and hugged me again. “Thank you.” I don’t know why I was crying, but I just felt so </span>
  <em>
    <span>safe</span>
  </em>
  <span>, so </span>
  <em>
    <span>secure</span>
  </em>
  <span> for the first time in years. I wanted to stay like this forever. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think I hear Paul at the door,” Seth whispered into my ear. I nodded and we released each other. “I will do the talking, unless you want to say something to him?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I shook my head. “But I’ll come with you.” We entered the common room and found Paul closing the door, his sketchbook under his arm. He scowled when he saw us but he didn’t move to abscond, which was a relief. I wouldn’t have put that past him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What.” Not even a question, he said it as an accusation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Paul, where were you tonight?” Seth tried to sound like he was innocently asking, but all of us knew that there was an ulterior motive. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bleck Hall. You saw me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Were you exploring the secret rooms?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes. It’s none of your business.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is dangerous to go down there by yourself.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t care.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Will you at least bring me with you when you go down?” Seth was almost pleading, which confused me because we were not close to Paul at all. “It is not safe to be alone down there.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Paul paused and considered it. I gave Seth a confused look; why would Paul even agree to that proposition? “Will you show me a new room?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seth nodded. “Yes, I will show you more of the rooms I am aware of. The only stipulation is that you do not explore Bleck Hall without someone accompanying you. If I learn that you have been lying to me, I will revoke my offer.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Paul and Seth were staring each other down; I felt as though I wasn’t even in the room. “Deal. We’ll start next semester.” Seth nodded in response and led me back to my room. Paul slammed his door shut.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Seth? What the hell was that about?” I sat down on the bed again, this time it was a resigned sit. He sat down next to me. Calmly.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It is not safe for him to be exploring down there alone, and I do not think that he would agree to leaving Bleck Hall alone.” He shrugged. “If he cannot stay away from the rooms beneath Bleck, I will at least make sure that he is not exploring them alone.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seth, I’m going to be honest with you right now. I have no idea what the fuck you’re talking about and I’m going to need you to be straight with me.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am worried.” He paused. “I think that it is not safe to be down there, exploring the hidden rooms. Especially at night. By yourself. And Paul does that seemingly every night.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Seth are you talking about, like, monsters and ghosts?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He sighed. “Yeah. I do not know. Maybe. It is not important.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I was confused, but I honestly didn’t want to talk about Paul, the bowels of Bleck Hall, or whatever Seth thought was down there. Instead I wanted to just sit next to him. I leaned my head against his arm and he wrapped me in a side hug. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The next evening Paul stayed in. Seth was surprised but I expected Paul to leap at any opportunity for learning more secrets hidden under Grey University and taking two weeks off of exploring before winter break didn’t seem like too bad a tradeoff. I had to study for my finals anyways, so I assumed Paul was in the same boat. Maybe less studying and more working, since his classes were –– at least I assumed –– studio classes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Paul did manage to avoid us while he stayed in at night, which was probably an ordeal for him. Seth, Trevor, and I kept catching him in the common area for brief moments before he darted either back into his room or out to gods know where. Just not Bleck Hall. Seth seemed certain of that much. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Paul didn’t look okay. His eyes were sunken, he seemed a little pallid. Maybe he wasn’t getting enough sleep. Or maybe he was dealing with the same bug that I’d had a few weeks earlier. I tried to ask him about it, but he brushed me off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Friday before finals, Paul dropped out. I didn’t learn until Sunday. Seth seemed concerned, but it felt on par for how he had been acting. Leaving without speaking was a thing he had done for pretty much the whole semester. Plus, we never heard about anything bad. The campus police didn’t ask us about him or anything. Seth was far more concerned about Paul than I was, but we’ll get to that later. I was more focused on my finals and my plans for the break. I didn’t want to go back home to my family. I felt so free at Grey and I didn’t want to lose all of my autonomy and agency. I was looking into just about any alternative, but couldn’t find one that was free. I had considered asking Seth if I could stay with him, but the thought made me nervous. We weren’t dating. He was just nice and affectionate. And what would his parents think? Come to think of it, I wasn’t even sure if he was gay. Maybe next year I would work up the courage to ask. Instead I resigned myself to texting. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’d better respond to me.” I teased. “If you give me radio silence until January I don’t think I’ll ever forgive you.” I stared at him to make sure he knew that I was only half kidding. He laughed and hugged me goodbye. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I hope that your break is lovely. I am so excited to see you again. You are moving back on campus early, right?” I nodded. “Good.” His face split into the beaming smile I loved so much. “Then I will drive over as soon as you are unpacked.” I nodded some more. I must have looked like a bobblehead toy. “Drive safe!” He stepped back as I started my car and drove through the woods to my parents’ house.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was going to be a long break without him.</span>
</p>
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